Illinois mother unable to claim son on taxes as government claims he’s dead

A resident of Illinois has discovered a devastating bureaucratic quandary that has left her unable to claim her son on her taxes—the government insists he is dead.

The woman, who requested to remain anonymous, has been clashing with the IRS for the past two years after she attempted to claim her son on her taxes in 2016. She was informed the following year that he had been marked deceased in the government database, but the mother had no knowledge of this prior to the filing. When she attempted to dispute the claim, the government denied her appeal and refused to update the status of her son.

The woman is now left in an intractable situation with no clear resolution. Despite providing the IRS with documentation that verifies her son is alive and well, such as a birth certificate and driver’s license, her son remains listed as deceased in the government system.

The woman contends that the issue is indicative of a much larger problem with the government’s tracking system, which is not equipped to handle such discrepancies.

“This is a prime example of the government’s bureaucracy failing its citizens,” the woman said in a statement. “My son’s life is being used as a pawn in this system, and it’s incredibly disheartening.”

The woman has reached out to her local representatives in an effort to resolve the issue, but has yet to receive a response. In the meantime, she is unable to claim her son on her taxes and is left with little recourse.

The woman’s plight serves to highlight the inefficiencies of the government’s tracking system, which is ill-equipped to handle such technical discrepancies. Her debacle is emblematic of a larger problem that persists within the government apparatus, one which has yet to be adequately addressed.